1
: a long pillow or cushion
2
: a structural part designed to eliminate friction or provide support or bearing (see bearing sense 5)
Examples of bolster in a Sentence
Verb
She came with me to bolster my confidence.
a convincing argument that was bolstered by the speaker's reputation
She is thinking of ways to bolster her career.
Recent Examples on the Web
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2025
Neither has expanded Medicaid coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a key tool that researchers have found bolsters patients' financial security by protecting them from big medical bills and debt.
—Noam Levey, NPR, 4 Apr. 2025
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR, 20 Apr. 2025
Montana is one of 23 states, along with Puerto Rico, that are eligible for the NIH’s Institutional Development Award program, meant to bolster NIH funding in states that historically have received less investment.
—Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bolster
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Noun
Cue the viridian green of the new Amedeo bed, with its padded structure and fine silk upholstery entirely hand-embroidered with a jungle motif that continues on the bedspread and the bolster pillows, or the deep red of the Pascal armchair with a dragon embroidered on the back.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2025
Neither has expanded Medicaid coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a key tool that researchers have found bolsters patients' financial security by protecting them from big medical bills and debt.
—Noam Levey, NPR, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
The only evidence against defendant [Weinstein] was the complainants' testimony, and the result of the court's rulings ... was to bolster their credibility and diminish defendant's character before the jury.
—Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR, 20 Apr. 2025
Montana is one of 23 states, along with Puerto Rico, that are eligible for the NIH’s Institutional Development Award program, meant to bolster NIH funding in states that historically have received less investment.
—Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bolster
Cite this Entry
“Bolster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolster. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bolster
1 of 2 noun
bol·ster
ˈbōl-stər 
1
: a long pillow or cushion
2
: a structural part designed to eliminate friction or provide support
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